The Penn's Grove record., 1887-09-03
FARM NOTES.

SECURING DURABLE TIMBER.-For
sills for buildings, for fence posts, ana
posts for grape trellises, for many
other purposes, it is very important 10
nave durable timber. An expenslVely
painted fence nailed to posts that Will
rot in a half dozen years, Is a piece OF
extravaganza and absurdity for when
there should be no excuse. IL IS wen
known that the anne kind OF timber,
cut at different season Of the year, Will
i'm one case rot almost Immediately,
while in another 1t will be comparative
". lasting. A white birch. cut IN
March or April, and left exposed TO
the weather without splitting twill by
August often be so rotten that no axe
will be needed for dividing 1t Into
stove lengths, but birch bean poles, cut
in midsummer, we have used W
seasons, and then found them com
paratIyely sound, and so tough they
would bend almost double without
breaking. DR.. Fisher, the successful
grape grower of Fitchburg, has his
stakes for t~rellises all sawed from
chestnut timber, cut in July or August
when the trees are in full leaf. 1t Is
astonishing how quickly a tree cut III
midsummer and peeled will season, II
left a Few days with the leaves on to
pump out the sap. Where the new
growth of sprouts is of more account
than the lasting qualities of the tim
Der. the Writer is a better time tor
cutting deciduous trees, but for secuT-
ing durable timber, or hrst class tuel,
the summer is the better time, proVl-
ded the bark is taken off and the a
left on as we have indicated. We hope
farmers and others who desire durable
timber for any purpose whatever Will
make the experiment this summer OF
cutting a few trees, at least, and note
results.
To one gallon of water take one and
one-half pounds of salt, one-halt
pound Of sugar, one-fourth n of
s~altpeter, one-half ounce of potash.
Omit the potash unless you can get
the pure article. Druggists usually
keep it. In this ratio the pickle can
be Increased to any quantity desired.
Let these be boiled together until all
the dirt from the sugar rises to the top
and is skinned off. Then hroWl 1t INTO
a tub to cool, and when cool pour 1t
over your beef or pork. TIE meat
must be well covered with pickle, and
should not be put down for at least two
days after killing, during which time,
it should be slightly %sprinkled with
powdered saltpeter, which removes all
the surface blood, etc, leaving the
meal fresh and clean. Some omit boil
ing the pickle and find it to answer
well, though the operation of boiling
puriies the pickle by throwing off the
dirt always to be found in salt and
sugar. If this recipe is strictly fol-
lowed 1t will require but a single trial
to prove its superiority over the common
way, or most ways, of putting doWn
meat, and will not soOn be abandoned
fer any other. The meat is unsur-
passed for sweetness, delicacy, and
freshness of color.
WALNUTs FOR FOWLs.-A lady
correspondent writes: In all the
articles 1 have seen OF feeding fowls,
l have never read Of any one feeding
them on walnut kernels. 1t Is a splen-
did food, and all you have to do is to
break them into four pieces and let the
fowl pick the kernalS out. Ducks can
only gel .n9 Loose kernels. but other
fowls will pick the bulls clean and
scratch them about to find more. l
have my fowls so if they hear me
strike with a hammer, they run to get
the walnuts. They will leave other
food to get the walnuts. also beat up
soft coal and mix it with meal and feed
the fowls. 1t keeps them healthy and
l find they lay better. l have gathered
up from ten to fifteen bushels OF
walnuts from two trees, and to break
up half a bushel every day for the
fowls saves one feed of other food, and
l do that only when very cold; then |
give then a good feed of corn before
they go to roost.
EXCEPT just at the time Of calving,
when the quality of feed is as impor-
tant as It's quality, liberal feeding is
always the best policy for cows. A
good animal VIII not accumulate fat,
and it is difficult to keep a fine mixer
In even toleIable condition. But if
she eats well, as every good COW will.
her owner may rest assured that the
feed is returned to him in the milkpail,
In a form more valuable than most of
the feed that is eaten on the farm can
possibly assume.
To plow deep is one of the English
rules for good farming. If we had
relied more entirely on maxims of
American manufacture Il farming
1t is pretty safe to say that this would
not be among them, For the great
American staple, Indian corn, deep
blowing Is almost always injurious.
The soil can scarcely be too warm Tor
corn, and shallow blowing keeps
warmth a the surface. 1t also
keeps an amount of vegetable mold
where corn roots can reach it easily
and early.
THE wrinkled variety of peas are
more sweet and |succulent while green
than the smooth sorts, and are less
hardy for early sowing. Having more
water in them they are more difficult
to dry without injury TO their germinat-
ing powers. 1t is quite probable that
if carefully and quickly dried, spread
in thin Layers, the wrinkled peas would
have much greater terminating power
than most OF the seed bought at stores
possess. If left IN even small heaps
before being thoroughly dry the seed i;
injured.
HORSES put to hard work will almost
surely show puffy spots under the
harness, which viii soon make bad
gals if neglected. Lift the harness
and battle the spots with cold water
when the teams rest and at evening.
Make sure that collars, especially, III
well and are smooth and hard.
SCoURs can generally be checked by
shutting the SOW up and feeding dry
corr for a few days. If pigs be large
enough to eat give them dry, raw -four,
or rye or wheat whole. If too young
to eat, a lump of alum the size of a